Think of an application that can exchange information with any other application on any platform. No import or export filters, no version compatability problems.Window's talks to Linux which talks to Mac, seamlessly...

A 'Web Service' is just such an application.

The inability of different desktop applications to talk to one another without a plethoria of filters and plug-ins has long been the bane of the IT managers life...
A 'Web-Service' is based upon the idea of using the universality of the web and the way it works, to make access to data (content) as widespread and simple as possible.

For instance, imagine that pulp-publisher 'Dodgy-books' want to automatically inform all the online bookshops of their latest titles. They've created a wonderful web application, which displays all the latest titles via dynamic pages on their website. However, there's no way for Dodgy-books to supply their book list in a format which can be automatically fed into the online bookshops web applications.

Until now that is…

Web services use the standard web formats of 'HTTP' and 'XML' to make data and content transferable across any platform and any application (not just web applications).

So, the savvy developers of Dodgy-books create a 'web application' which outputs its book list as XML. Being essentially data , Dodgy-books can 'push' their XML book list to the online bookstores, who using 'XSLT' transfer the data back into HTML. The HTML is then available to all the surfers out there on the web. Sales roll in and everyone is happy again!


 

Web services essentially address five issues:

1) A standard way to represent data
2) A common, extensible, message format
3) A way to discover services located on a particular web site
4) A way to discover service providers

XML is the chosen method for representing data and 'SOAP' (Simple Object Access Protocol) is rapidly becoming the standard method for exchanging the data.

Microsoft's .NET strategy fully embraces the concept of 'web services' and it is at the core of their new systems. The .NET initiative is intended to liberate developers from the nuts and bolts of traditional computer programming and make the web itself programmable.

Nice concept….

Ripping World can offer development and consultancy for all web technologies. We have vast experience in all development technologies, from XML, Java and JSP to C# and .Net.

Our web designers work closely with our web developers and programmers to provide full-cycle development. Since 1996 we have been designing web sites and developing web applications.

Our approach to web design and development is pragmatic. Programming discipline and creative design go hand in hand with our projects.